Colleen Doran is an artistic master, Eisner award winner and New York Times bestseller. She’s worked with Neil Gaiman and Stan Lee, and now she’s brought her talents to InterPop Comics and the Emergents Universe. Her signature character is Aloysius Zeroth, the fabulously chic, brilliant Tinkerer and architect of the Emergents’ powers. What drew her to this flamboyant wonder and what are her thoughts on InterPop Comics? Read on to find out.
InterPop: What initially drew you to a character like Zeroth?
Colleen: Well, he’s a sexy beast. The editor told me, “He’s like David Bowie, only an entrepreneur and tech genius,” and I was all, “Sign me up.”
InterPop: Both you and writer Ted Naifeh are known for long-running independent comic series, but this is your first time working together. How was the experience?
Colleen: Oh, just fine; I really enjoyed the story. Very fun to draw. Script was easy to follow.
InterPop: You’ve done a series of award-winning graphic novels with the legendary Neil Gaiman. Is there another on the horizon?
Colleen: Yes, my next book is Chivalry, which came out in March. I spent over a year working on it. Unlike my work for InterPop, though, it’s all painted by hand in watercolor, ink and 18K gold. And I have other works planned. I love working with Neil; it’s a great privilege. I know how lucky I am.
InterPop: What’s next for you in the Emergents Universe?
Colleen: I’m not sure, but I really want another go at Zeroth. [Editor’s note: Colleen illustrated this variant edition of The Nine, featuring Zeroth!]
InterPop: What attracted you to InterPop and its universe initially?
Colleen: I like the material. If I didn’t like it, I’d just walk. But it’s solid work. A lot of new universe comics these days; it’s all very, “Throw it at a wall and see what sticks.” Amateurish, too. But the InterPop Universe is professional from the ground up. And I like being in a project from the start. So many comics are burdened with tons of backstory and alternate universes, and reboots. I just can’t keep up with all the reboots. Even on books I like, I just go, “well, I’m done, I’ve had enough.” But I sat down and read the first InterPop comic stories and I was able to enjoy from the start. Good, solid, classic storytelling with some cool, contemporary concepts.
